How do I calculate the volume of water in my proposed project?

Submitted by Guest Writer on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 14:06.

I am unsure on how to calculate the volume of water within the pond I am planning to build.  I would like to calculate the water volume before I dig it out and purchase any equipment.  I want to make sure that I purchase the correct size equipment to properly filter and move the amount of water that will be in my pond.  How do I calculate the volume of my water garden?

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You are on the right track, it pays to plan ahead

Submitted by Garth Epp on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 11:30.

You are defiantly on the right track by wanting to determine the volume of the pond before you start the physical work or make any equipment purchases.  

I will answer your question directly, but first I want to encourage you to consider purchasing a pond kit rather then purchasing each piece of equipment separately.  Here’s why.  If you buy a kit for a pond 11 x 16 it will come with the appropriate equipment for a pond 11 x 16.  The kit will help determine the volume of the pond and come with the adequate equipment.  You will find this method more economical as well as much more user friendly with out room for error in selecting an appropriate compliment of pump, skimmer and filter.  I’d encourage you to check out my page related to pond kits.

Now on to your original question.  You can use these formulas to determine the pond volume:

Rectangle Pond: Length  x  Width  x Average Depth  x  7.5 = Pond Gallons

Round Pond: radius2  x  pi (3.14)  x  Average Depth  x  7.5 = Pond Gallons.

I would like to direct you to a blog post I did that discussing the process of calculating the volume of a moving water feature.  It can be found by clicking the following link, Calculating the Volume of Your Moving Water Feature.

Garth Epp Publisher, BuildingMyPond.com